01
Cheap domain names that stay cheap after year one
A cheap domain name is one that is cheap every year you own it, not only in the first. NameBest shows the first year and the renewal price next to each other on every result, and includes WHOIS privacy, DNS and forwarding, so you can sort extensions by what they really cost.
- WHOIS privacy included
- Renewal price shown before you pay
- Auto renew you can switch off any time
03
Why the cheapest domain is often the most expensive one
Registrars compete on the number in the banner, and the banner number is almost always the first year. A name that costs a dollar or two today can renew at several times that, and the renewal is the price you pay for every year after the first. Add a yearly privacy fee and a charge for forwarding, and a promotional domain can cost more over three years than a name with a plain, honest price.
- A first year promo is paid once
- The renewal price is paid every year after
- Privacy and forwarding fees repeat too
- Moving to another registrar later takes time and a transfer fee
04
How to compare cheap domain names properly
Use three numbers, not one. Then compare the total for the years you plan to keep the name.
| Number | Where to find it at NameBest |
|---|---|
| First year price | First column of every search result |
| Renewal price | Next to it, in the same row and in the cart |
| Extras | None, privacy, DNS and forwarding are included |
For a domain you plan to keep for five years, the honest cost is the first year plus four renewals. Our domain name cost guide breaks this down by extension.
05
Where cheap domain names usually are
Some extensions are cheap to register and stay reasonable on renewal. Others are cheap only in the first year. The domain prices table on our site lists the first year, renewal and transfer price for every extension we sell, and you can sort it by renewal.
- .com has a stable price that moves only when the registry raises its wholesale fee
- .org and .net sit near .com on renewal
- .xyz and some newer extensions are very cheap in year one but renew much higher, so check the renewal column
- .io and .ai are priced high by their registries for every registrar, there is no truly cheap version of them
Read about each one on the list of domain extensions and on pages like .xyz domains and .com domain registration.
06
Cheap without the add ons
Low prices often come back through extras. At NameBest these are part of the yearly price of every domain, not paid upgrades.
- WHOIS privacy where the registry allows it
- DNS management with A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT and SRV records
- URL forwarding with 301 or 302 redirects and paths
- Custom nameservers
- Transfer lock and EPP code in your dashboard
- Auto renew with reminder emails 30 and 7 days before expiry
07
Tips to keep domain costs low
- Register only the extensions you will use, and forward the rest only if a typo or a rival is a real risk
- Turn off auto renew on names you no longer need, the domain stays yours until the end of the paid year
- Transfer domains with high renewals to a registrar with a lower renewal, a transfer adds a year so you lose nothing, see domain transfer
- Review your renewal list once a year and let go of names that stopped mattering
Our article on how much it costs to renew a domain name shows where renewal prices come from.
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Questions about cheap domain names
What is the cheapest domain extension?
It depends on whether you mean the first year or every year. Some newer extensions are very cheap in year one and renew much higher. Sort our pricing table by the renewal column to see which stay cheap.
Are cheap domains worse than expensive ones?
No. A domain works the same at any price. The difference is the extension, how people perceive it and how much it renews at.
Why do .io and .ai domains cost more?
Their registries charge every registrar a high wholesale price. No registrar can sell them cheaply for long without losing money on each renewal.
Can I lock in a low price for several years?
Renewal prices follow the registry's wholesale price. If the registry raises it, every registrar's renewal goes up. Our search result always shows the current renewal price before you pay.